IWANIYA, Iraq, March 28 — At the base camp of the Fifth Marine Regiment here, two sharpshooters, Sgt. Eric Schrumpf, 28, and Cpl. Mikael McIntosh, 20, sat on a sand berm and swapped combat tales while their column stood at a halt on the road toward Baghdad. For five days this week, the two men rode atop armored personnel carriers, barreling up Highway 1.

They said Iraqi fighters had often mixed in with civilians from nearby villages, jumping out of houses and cars to shoot at them, and then often running away. The marines said they had little trouble dispatching their foes, most of whom they characterized as ill trained and cowardly.

"We had a great day," Sergeant Schrumpf said. "We killed a lot of people."

Right on, Seargeant. Let’s jump ahead:

But in the heat of a firefight, both men conceded, when the calculus often warps, a shot not taken in one set of circumstances may suddenly present itself as a life-or-death necessity.

"We dropped a few civilians," Sergeant Schrumpf said, "but what do you do?"

To illustrate, the sergeant offered a pair of examples from earlier in the week.

"There was one Iraqi soldier, and 25 women and children," he said, "I didn't take the shot."

But more than once, Sergeant Schrumpf said, he faced a different choice: one Iraqi soldier standing among two or three civilians. He recalled one such incident, in which he and other men in his unit opened fire. He recalled watching one of the women standing near the Iraqi soldier go down.

"I'm sorry," the sergeant said, "but the chick was in the way."

Aw, man, I hate it when chicks get in the way. Come to think of it, chicks always get in the way. Thank god for your AK-47, Seargeant. Hey, you know what? Might come in handy if your wife gets in the way! Damn straight.

And then this little article from today’s timesonline.co.uk.

Patrick Barkham meets the "friendly fire" victims

THREE wounded British soldiers described yesterday how they survived a terrifying attack by an American anti-tank aircraft that killed one of their troop and destroyed two armoured vehicles.

That’s an A-10, folks. Super-kick ass. Back to the article.

One of the survivors criticized the American pilot for showing “no regard for human life” and accused him of being a cowboy who had gone out on a jolly.

LCoH Gerrard criticised the A10 for shooting when there were civilians so close to the tanks. He said: “There was a boy of about 12 years old. He was no more than 20 metres away when the Yank opened up. There were all these civilians around. He had absolutely no regard for human life. I believe he was a cowboy.

“There were four or five that I noticed earlier and this one had broken off and was on his own when he attacked us. He’d just gone out on a jolly.

“ I’m curious about what’s going to happen to the pilot. He’s killed one of my friends and he’s killed him on the second run.”

Hmm. Hearing the “cowboy” word a lot lately, aren’t we?

And then this quote from a recent article in the U.K.’s Guardian.

"I've been all the way through this desert from Basra to here and I ain't
seen one shopping mall or fast food restaurant. These people got nothing.
Even in a little town like ours of twenty five hundred people you got a
McDonald's at one end and a Hardee's at the other."

Sgt. Sprague, from White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia, deployed as
part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I’m speechless.

Look, I know that the great majority of our soldiers are doing the best they can, and I’m sure that they’re living with an incredible amount of stress (now that they’ve experienced resistance from Iraqi soldier and civilian). However, that’s no excuse for hard-core stupidity and the kind of behavior that is going to move us further and further away from the rest of the world.

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Haven’t posted for a couple of days. Sorry ‘bout that. I’ve been overwhelmed with the latest and greatest re: Iraq, and haven’t been able to figure out which front to attack. Clear Channel, The Carlyle Group, Halliburton, yad yada.

And then…it hit me…after the morning news. Here goes…

The good folks over at NPR were kind enough to broadcast Bush’s latest jingo-fest this morning…live from Cent Comm outside Tampa, Florida, (one of the) the strategic HQ’s of our nation’s finest, and home to the Reverend Tommy Franks, our fearless military leader over in Iraq. 10,000 plus filled an airplane hangar at Cent Comm (including family members of soldiers currently fighting) to hear Shrub go on and on about victory and freedom and duty and liberty and heroism and, oh yeah, this “war” might take a little bit longer than we expected. Shrub was treated to standing ovations every fifteen seconds. We’re all in trouble when a reference to “my brother the governor” gets GW thirty seconds of wild applause.

But here’s the thing that made me mad; it was Shrub’s warm-up act, country singer Darryl Worley. The crowd gathered at Cent Comm was treated to a live performance of “Have You Forgotten,” Worley’s brand-new jingo-smash (in with a bullet from an M16 at #2 on the counrty charts), written by Worley and his “pardner” Wynn Varble.

(Hold on a second. Written by Worley and…Wynn Varble? Wynn Varble?! That’s the dude’s name?! Are you kidding me?!!

“Have you seen Wynn Varble? They kick ass. I think they’re from Portland. Saw them open up for Elliot Smith. He was totally smacked out on something, but Wynn Varble kicked ass.”

“Travel to Wynn Varble you must. Find out what you can you will.”
“Yes, Master Yoda.”
“May the force be with you.”)

Back to the song. Read the lyrics, then we’ll discuss.

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN

I hear people saying we don't need this war
I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground?
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start preaching
Let me ask you this my friend

CHORUS 1
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it every day
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
After 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right

REPEAT CHORUS

I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
And you can bet that they remember
Just what they're fighting for

Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Yes, some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?

I’m back.

Please, kill me. Kill me now. I can’t take it anymore. We have no chance, because this is the kind of jingoistic crap that the Wal-Martians eat on a daily basis. Fucking Clear Channel and its vast network of talk-radio and country stations is ramming this song down their throats RIGHT NOW. I mean, where did they get this guy? The guy looks like a Piggly Wiggly grocery bagger and he’s got a giant hit single?! Does Clear Channel have a secret lab somewhere, a lab where they can create “artists” like Worley to carry their conservative/corporate/pro-war message? A lab that has the capability of cranking out more of these ring-wing robots? Please, hit that lab with a laser guided missile.

And the rhyme scheme…Chirst…towers fell, living hell…Bin Laden, forgotten…people “keeled,” Pennsylvania field?!!! My god, Tony Tucci’s 5th grade reworking of Styx’s “Wanted Man” into a Steeler fight song had more artistic merit. (It was genius – “O, mama, I’m in fear for my life from the long arm of the law / STEELERS are coming down from the gallows and I don’t have very long.”)

And where the fuck are the modern day Dylan’s and Country Joe’s? Jesus, people, we’re in big trouble if we have to rely on Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks to spread the message of peace. Sure, I know, it’s hard to get your message out if Clear Channel won’t play your music. I get that. But, c’mon. Just go on Letterman or Leno to promote your new hit single and sing a protest song when you hit the stage.

I wanna take “Have You Forgotten” line by line, but I’m afraid that my head will explode if I do. Let’s just deal with the title.

“Have You Forgotten.” Forgotten the connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein and George Bush’s war in Iraq? No, Darryl, I haven’t forgotten. But, because I’m educated (and because I NEVER WATCH FOX NEWS), I know that there is ZERO CONNECTION between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein. Period. End of discussion. The connection (ie the information that the Bush Administration “presented” to the Security Council to justify military action) was based on LIES. Al-Qaeda in Iraq? In Northeren Iraq – a part of the country that Hussein has no control over. “Weapons of Mass Destruction?” Well, we know what they used to have because a bunch of our companies have the receipts. The possibility of Hussein getting some WMD’s and selling them to Bin Laden? The Empire will finish the Death Star before that happens. (If you guys were really worried about an “evil regime” selling nukes to terrorists, call the folks running the show in Pakistan; there’s more than enough evidence to suggest that they’ve been selling nukes to the North Koreans and harboring the bulk load of Bin Laden’s dudes.) And no matter how hard you jingos try to spin this junk, those of us who can see through the bullshit will never accept an Iraq-Al Qaeda connection as anything but spin.

I’ve got to give it to the powers at be; you’ve done a masterful job of brainwashing the American people, since roughly 50% of all Americans believe that the Hussein was involved in 9/11 and that most of the hijackers involved were Iraqi. Good job. And thanks to the corporate media for never having the balls to correct that mislead.

I know one thing; this fucking song helps that campaign IN A BIG WAY.

I have a few questions for you, Mr. Worley.

Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten that 15 of the hijackers were SAUDIS and that NONE OF THEM were Iraqi? (This little debate is really getting old, people.)

Have you forgotten that Bush promised to “smoke” bin Laden out of his “cave” (or his five star hotel room in the Philippines), to “get him running,” and to bring him to justice “dead or alive?”

Have you forgotten that the bush family has done MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of dollars of biz with the Bin Laden family, and that the U.S. government flew members of that family out of the U.S. in the hours after 9/11?

Have you forgotten that the CIA trained Bin Laden? Ever see “Rambo III?” We used to call them the mujahadeen. “Freedom Fighters.” (Language is neat, huh?)

Have you forgotten that Dick Cheney used to be the CEO of Halliburton, the firm that just landed the fattest of the Iraqi reconstruction contracts? Better yet, have you forgotten that Halliburton did upwards of SEVENTY MILLION dollars worth of biz with THE IRAQIS during the NINETIES, selling them (among other things) equipment for their oil fields?

Have you forgotten that the Republicans spent upward of 100 MILLION DOLLARS of our (tax payer) money (and twice that from private sources) to catch Clinton with his pants down, but are only spending 3 MILLION DOLLARS to investigate 9/11?!

Have you forgotten that Bush promised New York 20 BILLION DOLLARS in post 9/11 aid, but has yet to deliver the bulk of that cash (75%) to the city?

Actually, Darryl, you probably haven’t forgotten…BECAUSE, like most Americans living under the Bush junta, YOU NEVER KNEW. You probably get all your “information” from Rush and Sean and Fox News, so how could you know?

Goddammit. I could go on and on and on…but I won’t. I’m getting a headache.

Actually, there is a connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein, Darryl…and it’s covered with a delicious coating of oil and RACISM. But you can’t see that because the powers at be control the thoughts of you mouth-breathers and Wal-Martians with an endless barrage of propaganda and a giant parade of “evildoers.” They used to be commies, now they’re Islamic. “And if they look alike…they are alike…so let’s kill ‘em all.”

Open you’re fucking eyes, Abercrombie; blind faith in your leaders will get you killed.

If you visit his web-site, you can get a transcript of Darryl Worley’s appearance on “Hannity & Colmes.”

Sunday, March 23, 2003

More people showed up than I thought would. I’d say there were about 10-15,00 folks involved…every shape, size and color. There were just a few thousand gathered at the Hollywood/Vine Subway station for the start of the march (12:00), but the crowd seemed to double as soon as the march began. Some people must have been waiting in Bob’s Frolic Room.

We were allowed to march in the streets. No one was quite sure what to make of it – some were convinced that the cops were setting a trap by “letting us” bleed into the street – but the permits were apparently in order.

A few stayed behind (at Hollywood & Vine) to protest the absurdly high prices (for what you get) at the Hollywood Diner, and to protest the Jason Alexander/Martin Short version of “The Producers” at the Pantages. People are still upset with Alexander for hawking fake KFC chicken wings.

The march down Vine was uneventful. Scattered tourists taking photos. Cops everywhere.

Fantastic collection of cops protecting the Jack in the Box on the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga. Must have been fifty of ‘em (in full gear) in Jack’s parking lot. Big thanks to the LAPD for protecting us from Jack’s grilled sourdough.

Not much difference (visually) between the crowd inside Amoeba records and the crowd outside Amoeba records. What does that tell you?

Where do conservatives shop for records? There ain’t a Wal-Mart anywhere near Hollywood.

Top chant in front of CNN - “Aaron Brown…step down!”

Not sure what they do in the CNN building. Do they shoot Larry King there? They used to shoot a daily show covering the entertainment industry, but they got rid of that program years ago. The building seemed to be vacant…except for two p.a. looking dudes on the second floor (shooting us with digital video cameras), and a group of painters on the fifth floor.

Eddie Vedder and Tim Robbins were in the crowd. Vedder sang a few bars of a protest song…but I couldn’t hear it. I played ultimate Frisbee with Robbins at UCLA a few times, and threw him a few touchdowns. Easy to do ‘coz he’s so tall.

Sorta wanted the march to continue moving west along Sunset to Sci-ti’s International Citizens Commission on Human Rights - Psychiatry Kills Museum. Hubbie’s people were not out on Saturday. Weird.

Anti-war chicks are ten times hotter than pro-war chicks. Yeah, I know. That’s a terribly sexist comment, but it is true.

More people showed up than I thought would. I’d say there were about 10-15,00 folks involved…every shape, size and color. There were just a few thousand gathered at the Hollywood/Vine Subway station for the start of the march (12:00), but the crowd seemed to double as soon as the march began. Some people must have been waiting in Bob’s Frolic Room.

We were allowed to march in the streets. No one was quite sure what to make of it – some were convinced that the cops were setting a trap by “letting us” bleed into the street – but the permits were apparently in order.

A few stayed behind (at Hollywood & Vine) to protest the absurdly high prices (for what you get) at the Hollywood Diner, and to protest the Jason Alexander/Martin Short version of “The Producers” at the Pantages. People are still upset with Alexander for hawking fake KFC chicken wings.

The march down Vine was uneventful. Scattered tourists taking photos. Cops everywhere.

Fantastic collection of cops protecting the Jack in the Box on the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga. Must have been fifty of ‘em (in full gear) in Jack’s parking lot. Big thanks to the LAPD for protecting us from Jack’s grilled sourdough.

Not much difference (visually) between the crowd inside Amoeba records and the crowd outside Amoeba records. What does that tell you?

Where do conservatives shop for records? There ain’t a Wal-Mart anywhere near Hollywood.

Top chant in front of CNN - “Aaron Brown…step down!”

Not sure what they do in the CNN building. Do they shoot Larry King there? They used to shoot a daily show covering the entertainment industry, but they got rid of that program years ago. The building seemed to be vacant…except for two p.a. looking dudes on the second floor (shooting us with digital video cameras), and a group of painters on the fifth floor.

Eddie Vedder and Tim Robbins were in the crowd. Vedder sang a few bars of a protest song…but I couldn’t hear it. I played ultimate Frisbee with Robbins at UCLA a few times, and threw him a few touchdowns. Easy to do ‘coz he’s so tall.

Sorta wanted the march to continue moving west along Sunset to Sci-ti’s International Citizens Commission on Human Rights - Psychiatry Kills Museum. Hubbie’s people were not out on Saturday. Weird.

Anti-war chicks are ten times hotter than pro-war chicks. Yeah, I know. That’s a terribly sexist comment, but it is true.

Friday, March 21, 2003

WAR PIGS

I’m so angry today…I’m not sure where to star. Let’s begin with a few lyrics from Black Sabbath’s classic hit “War Pigs.”

“Generals gathered in their masses,
just like witches at black masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
sorcerers of death's construction.
In the fields the bodies burning,
as the war machine keeps turning.
Death and hatred to mankind,
poisoning their brainwashed minds.
Oh lord, yeah!”

Ozzy wrote that song about the military-industrial complex back in 1970. (Thank the Lord Jesus Christ for Ozzy.) I was gonna use that song to write a blog about the MIC...but a few stories involving one of its leading characters caught my eye today. Here goes…

I’ve just read an editorial in today’s edition of the U.K.’s Guardian (arguably the world’s leading “free” newspaper) that sent chills up and down my spine. An editorial directly connected to my previous comments about the hawks and neocons who have taken control of the Bush Administration and thus our foreign policy. An editorial written by none other than Richard Perle, chairman of the Defence Policy Board, an advisory panel to the Pentagon, a Bushie and one of the top neocons in said movement.

The title of Perle’s editorial?

“Thank God for the death of the UN.”

In his own words…

“Saddam Hussein's reign of terror is about to end. He will go quickly, but not alone: in a parting irony, he will take the UN down with him. Well, not the whole UN. The "good works" part will survive, the low-risk peacekeeping bureaucracies will remain, the chatterbox on the Hudson will continue to bleat. What will die is the fantasy of the UN as the foundation of a new world order. As we sift the debris, it will be important to preserve, the better to understand, the intellectual wreckage of the liberal conceit of safety through international law administered by international institutions.

As free Iraqis document the quarter-century nightmare of Saddam's rule, let us not forget who held that the moral authority of the international community was enshrined in a plea for more time for inspectors, and who marched against "regime change". In the spirit of postwar reconciliation that diplomats are always eager to engender, we must not reconcile the timid, blighted notion that world order requires us to recoil before rogue states that terrorise their own citizens and menace ours.”

Goddammit. We’re bombing the shit out of Baghdad, and Perle is already dancing on the grave of the U.N., and organiazation that dared to get in the way of Operation Freedom Iraq. Unbelievable. (Hey, Richard, “let us not forget” that Cheney’s Halliburton did about 70 million dollars worth of biz with the Iraqis in the 90’s.)

If you want to understand the mindset of the MEN in the Bush administration who had ZERO INTEREST in building a TRUE international coalition for Operation Freedom Iraq (because they didn’t NEED to) read the editorial. You’ll find it at…

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,918812,00.html

Perle’s victory dance re: leaving the U.N. out of the equation is very much the wish of the “Stupid White Men” (as Michael Moore calls them) who have hijacked our country. They want the U.N. to go down in flames because they are sick of having to pretend like they care about the U.N. “Going through the motions” with the U.N. and the Security Council (as they’ve done in the past few months) drives them CRAZY. They know what they want (control of the world’s energy supply) and don’t want to ask for ANYONE’S “permission” or “approval” to get it. More importantly, these guys don’t want to share “the spoils of war” with anyone, and that’s why they’d rather do it without the help of the rest of the world (or the other not-so-super powers like Germany, Russia and France). Even the mainstream news is reporting that the “coalition” soldiers are securing the oil fields in southern Iraq. (“Which coalition soldiers? The Latvians?”)

IT’S BAD BUSINESS TO INVOLVE LOTS OF PEOPLE IN A DEAL, MY FRIENDS. Sting hated sharing $ with the other two Policemen, and hated having to put up with their whining in the studio. That’s why he was willing to let go of a truly great band. That’s the neocon attitude toward the U.N.

Perle says it in his editorial – “The chronic failure of the Security Council to enforce its own resolutions is unmistakable: it is simply not up to the task. We are left with coalitions of the willing. Far from disparaging them as a threat to a new world order, we should recognize that they are, by default, the best hope for that order, and the true alternative to the anarchy of the abject failure of the UN.”

In plain English - “Screw the ‘new world order.’ We don’t need the U.N. for Operation Free Iraq. Plus, our coalition, an impressive group of people from Latvia, Eritrea and Macedonia, will ‘rebuild’ and ‘take care of’ Iraq after the war, and they’ll do a better job… with help from U.S. companies that gave tons of money to the Bush campaign. What? Do I work for any of these companies? Fuck off, why should I tell you?!”

Perle’s hatred of the U.N. is almost comical. But then again, our fearless leader grew up in a part of the country (West Texas) were it is not uncommon to see bubba-ish bumperstickers that scream “U.S. out of the U.N.” This sentiment reflects the mindset of a mouth-breathing, mondo-macho neocon – “If I’m stronger than you, why should I play ball with you unless I fell like kicking someone’s ass? Better yet, if I can kick your ass, why should I care about you?”

This attitude also reflects the ultra-conservative fear of anything (like the U.N.) that involves “weaker people” or that smacks of equality and thus “socialism.” Ultra-conservatives fear everything they don’t know and everything they can’t control. That’s why they’ll fight SO FUCKING HARD to control things. They are wired to control things. Cut to the current “shock and awe” campaign that is DESTROYING a once majestic city. (They also like to kill things they don’t know and can’t control. JFK, RFK, and MLK come to mind, but that’s a different blog for another day.)

Aaaghhh.

Sorry. Off track. Back to Mr. Perle.

Two DIFFERENT articles have come out TODAY detailing the ways in which Perle “might be” benefiting from his close ties to the White House.

I’ll let part of the article in today’s New York Times, written by Stephen Labaton, speak for itself.

WASHINGTON, March 20 — Even as he advises the Pentagon on war matters, Richard N. Perle, chairman of the influential Defense Policy Board, has been retained by the telecommunications company Global Crossing to help overcome Defense Department resistance to its proposed sale to a foreign firm, Mr. Perle and lawyers involved in the case said today.

Mr. Perle, an assistant defense secretary in the Reagan administration, is close to many senior officials, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who appointed him to lead the policy board in 2001. Though the board does not pay its members and is technically not a government agency, it wields tremendous influence in policy circles. And its chairman is considered a "special government employee," subject to federal ethics rules, including one that bars anyone from using public office for private gain.

Mr. Perle and his lawyer said yesterday that his involvement with Global Crossing did not violate the ethics rules.

According to lawyers involved in the review and a legal notice that Global Crossing is preparing to file soon in bankruptcy court, Mr. Perle is to be paid $725,000 by the company, including $600,000 if the government approves the sale of the company to a joint venture of Hutchison Whampoa, controlled by the Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, and Singapore Technologies Telemedia, a phone company controlled by the government of Singapore.

Lawyers said today that Mr. Perle had been helping Global Crossing for several weeks. They said he was brought in as a prominent Republican with close ties to the current officials. He has taken on a particularly important role, they said, since the company recently pulled back its request for the government to clear the sale in the face of opposition from the Defense Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Those agencies have said that the proposed deal presents national security and law enforcement problems, because it would put Global Crossing's worldwide fiber optics network — one used by the United States government — under Chinese ownership.”

“Aw, c’mon. What’s wrong with that?”

And then this little ditty, written by David Leigh, appears in The Guardian…today… the same day that dude writes his U.N. obituary in THAT paper!

“Pentagon hawk linked to UK intelligence company”

Richard Perle is director of firm selling terror alert software

Amid general stock market jitters, one British company linked to the American hawk Richard Perle and dealing with secret intelligence is among the few UK commercial organisations that stand to profit from the Iraq war and its accompanying worldwide terrorist alert.

Mr Perle, long one of the most high-profile proponents of war with Iraq, is a director of Autonomy with an option on 75,000 of the company's shares - currently trading in the doldrums, far below the option price.

He advises the company on market opportunities, he told the Guardian from Washington. But he said he had no input into specific procurement decisions by US agencies.

Mr Perle, a former Pentagon appointee, was recruited by Autonomy shortly before the Bush administration came to power in 2000. His present position as chairman of the Pentagon's defence advisory board is not formally part of the US administration, and so he is not required to divest himself of commercial interests. But he has close contact with policymakers in the intelligence community.

Mr Perle has roamed the world promoting war against Saddam Hussein and linking him to the al-Qaida terrorist network. Such fears have caused an unprecedented surge in international intelligence activity.”

This is how the military-industrial complex works, folks. It’s a very simple system; if you are involved in the industry, you make money when there is a threat of war and when there is war. And your biggest customer is Uncle Sam; he’s got the biggest checkbook in the world, courtesy of the people he’s supposed to protect.

Plus, he’s willing to pay $1,000 for a hammer. Just think what he’ll pay for an A-10!

I just want to point out AGAIN that Perle is heavily involved in setting the foreign (and in many ways the domestic) policy that Bush is implementing. He is in constant contact with the men have long advocated using our incredible military strength to bring order to the world (ie to set up and protect our “economic interests” around the world), the same men that have been planning a “war in Iraq” since the last Gulf War. Christ, they sent a letter to Clinton (signed by Perle’s CLOSE CHUMS and biz partners Cheney, Rummy & Wolfie) back in 1997…telling him to do so!

From the ABC news website, March 10, 2003 –

“Years before George W. Bush entered the White House, and years before the Sept. 11 attacks set the direction of his presidency, a group of influential neo-conservatives hatched a plan to get Saddam Hussein out of power.

The group, the Project for the New American Century, or PNAC, was founded in 1997. Among its supporters were three Republican former officials who were sitting out the Democratic presidency of Bill Clinton: Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz.”

Again, these are Perle’s close pals and business partners and the men who are running our country. They call him to go over plans, he calls them to give them advice, they play golf together, they vacation together, they hang out at the best restaurants in D.C. Christ, they might even play Nintendo together.

More from ABC…

“In open letters to Clinton and GOP congressional leaders the next year, the group called for "the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime from power" and a shift toward a more assertive U.S. policy in the Middle East, including the use of force if necessary to unseat Saddam.

And in a report just before the 2000 election that would bring Bush to power, the group predicted that the shift would come about slowly, unless there were "some catastrophic and catalyzing event, like a new Pearl Harbor."

That event came on Sept. 11, 2001. By that time, Cheney was vice president, Rumsfeld was secretary of defense, and Wolfowitz his deputy at the Pentagon. “

The next morning — before it was even clear who was behind the attacks — Rumsfeld insisted at a Cabinet meeting that Saddam's Iraq should be "a principal target of the first round of terrorism," according to Bob Woodward's book Bush At War.”

How this article slipped by a conservative dude like Mickey Mouse…I’ll never know.